There have been few occasions in history when intellectuals - writers, scientists or artists - have become leaders of their countries. You would have every right, therefore, to consider it remarkable, a once-in-a-hundred-years event, that a world famous piano virtuoso should assume the office of prime minister at the historical moment of the formation of the Second Polish Republic.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860—1941), who was born into a family of the petty nobility, was one of the most outstanding pianists of the post-Franz Liszt era: he was a globally renowned performer, possessed brilliant technique and was a definitive player of the music of Chopin (his artistry was immortalised in several recordings). Alongside the works of the great Romantic Polish composer he also interpreted the creations of Bach, Beethoven and Schumann with similar aplomb. After spending years studying in the Warsaw Conservatory, Paderewski studied in Berlin and Vienna, finding success at an early age: after appearing in concert in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Great Britain at the start of the 1890s, he also performed to great acclaim in the United States. More than an artist, Paderewski was also a humanist and a patriot with a rallying spirit. He felt a duty to his country and sought always to act in the interests of his fellow countrymen. And so it was that after more than a century of fragmentation, Poland, which had finally regained its independence, turned to Paderewski head its government, where he also later served as foreign minister.
Thanks to the work of YeastCulture.org, a veteran of many large-scale international video installation projects, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Müpa Budapest will pay tribute to Ignacy Jan Paderewski to mark the centenary of the formation of the Second Polish Republic. The installation of 60 video screens side by side will present his extraordinary life, music, political ideas and intellectual heritage. The audience will experience this great artist and idealist, patriot and romantic personality through state-of-the-art artistic devices.

Commissioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme and POLSKA 100 - the international cultural programme celebrating 100 years of Polish Independence. Financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual programme NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2021.

The official carrier of the program is LOT Polish Airlines.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest